


Criers and Liars

by OnyxIsNotOverdramatic



Category: Sanders Sides (Web Series)
Genre: Angst, Crying, Deceit Sanders - Freeform, Depressing Thoughts, Lots of Angst, M/M, Mental Illness, Mentions of dark sides, Other, Sympathetic Dark Creativity | Remus "The Duke" Sanders, Sympathetic Deceit Sanders, be careful frens, deceit is kinda a jerk but he'll get nice later dw, deceit sews and stuff, gonna get sader, his room is described in great detail lol, idk what else to put tell me if there's more plz, ill update the relationship thing as i figure out if there's gonna be any lol, ill update the tags as i go, im sorry, sad snakey boi, the 'light sides' r kinda mean for a bit, they also get nicer, this is crap, virgil gets nicer slower than p much everyone else, way too much angst, wayyyy too much detail..
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-01-12
Updated: 2020-01-28
Packaged: 2021-02-27 15:40:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 11
Words: 7,021
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22219444
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/OnyxIsNotOverdramatic/pseuds/OnyxIsNotOverdramatic
Summary: Deceit was a liar, that much was clear. But sometimes, he could be good. Slowly, the others start to realize that.(crap summary, give this a chance if u want)
Comments: 56
Kudos: 138





	1. Chap. 1

**Author's Note:**

> yo, so this is going to be my first work on here that will have multiple chaps!! infrequent updates prolly, haha.. but yeh!! hope u enjoy!!
> 
> (oh and i drew the draw, it's what i imagine his room to look like)

Sobs echoed down the hallway, dark and gloomy. Creaks from old rafters in this section could be heard, making the atmosphere ominous. The entire area shook slightly, rumbling, pulsing with each new wail. The place looked almost attic-like, a wide, mostly empty space with old, wooden flooring and slanted roofing that jutted and protruded randomly. 

Against the back wall, there was a small bookshelf with 3 shelves, all packed with as many books as they could fit with many stacks in piles around it. Most of the books seemed to pertain to various magic tricks, acts, psychology, and various mystery novels, as well as nonfiction books about snakes. 

Besides that, there was a large, faded black bean bag that was worn and old, some hand-sewn patches in shades of yellow on it with two cushions seated in it. One was a faded yellow with a black snake on it, and the other was black and yellow checkered. On the right of the bean bag was a small three-legged desk with a small shelf underneath it that held two small books, each worn and with a bookmark sticking out of it. On top of the desk was an old-fashioned adjustable lamp that was currently off. 

Against the right wall, there was a big chest that was opened, different fabrics spilling out of it of varying colors. There were some fabrics strewn around the room, and laying on the floor and against furniture were hand-made stuffed animals, the stitches holding them together and well sewn. There was a large pile of pillows on the left side of the room, and a stack of blankets on the right. In the corner, there was another bundle of at least 10 blankets of different textures and patterns, wrapped around a shaking mass. The sounds seemed to be emanating from the corner. 

Deceit was crying in his room, curled up in the mound of blankets that was his bed. He had tried confronting the ‘Light Sides’ again, only to be insulted, mocked, and ultimately dismissed as per usual. This time, though… this time it hurt, more than usual. Their words still echoed in his ears, furthering his own thoughts.  _ “Freak. Snake-face. Monster. Unwanted.“  _

He tried to shake it off, but it clung to him like wet, tight jeans. He released another sob, finding himself unable to breathe from the combined forces of his stuffy nose, his crying, and the fact he was smothered in blankets. He quickly yanked them off, taking as deep a breath he could with his nose plugged up. 

He grabbed the box of tissues behind his blanket bundle, blowing his nose and wiping his eyes with his pajama sleeves. As he finally started to calm down the shaking of the attic began to settle, the trembling going down as he himself stopped quivering. He sighed, feeling self-loathing well up inside him. He couldn’t do his job like this. What kind of guardian was he?! He shook his head in disgust, untangling himself from the blankets as he stood up. He went to walk away, nearly tripping as his foot got caught on one of the pesky fabrics. He hissed at it in annoyance before mentally smacking himself. He was hissing at inanimate objects now. Great. 

He ignored the urge to bash his head on the wall, instead looking around for clothes he could wear around the MindScape without being too far from his usual outfit. He decided he would wear a dark grey beanie, a dark grey with thin yellow stripes turtleneck sweater, black loose leggings, and yellow socks. He quickly put them on before sinking out, appearing in the hallway below his room. 

He took a deep breath, looking around. The coast was clear. He adopted his usual demeanor, taking on a confident, sly attitude, as he strode down the hallway. He had a slight, snake-like smirk twisting his lips and he mentally prepared himself for a possible confrontation. His stomach growled, reminding him that he hadn’t eaten for the last two days. He groaned, slouching, before remembering his role and straightening up. 

He hurried to the familiar path to the kitchen, imagining the savory foods he could snatch before remembering that, ‘ _ oh yeah, they hate me _ .’ He took a deep breath, shaking his head in annoyance. He could understand some of the negative emotions that the other sides felt towards him, but surely he wasn’t so bad to deserve the constant hatred that was aimed towards him  _ every freaking time he showed up _ . He ignored the voice in his head that whispered that he did. 

He was a bad guy, sure, that much was clear, but he wasn’t  _ always _ the bad guy. He was only this way because he knew they didn’t listen otherwise. His and the rest of the ‘Dark Sides’ experiences with them proved that. Even after Virgil, they still didn’t learn!! He felt a bit of anger brewing in him, but he pushed it down. Now wasn’t the time. He composed himself, tensing slightly as he got closer to the kitchen. 

He heard bustling and chatter and he froze, before continuing with false bravado and confidence in his steps. He needed the food more than he wanted to avoid confrontation. After all, one of his jobs  _ is  _ self-preservation. He adjusted his beanie nervously before catching himself. Now’s not the time to show weakness. The sounds got louder as he got closer and he could begin to hear bits of the conversation. He could hear Roman singing in the background, Patton joking and chatting, Logan’s occasional curt responses, and he could almost hear Vir- um, Anxiety’s music blasting from his headphones. Deceit frowned. That’s not good, all of them were in there, minus Remus and the other Dark Sides. 

Deceit considered going back, but before he could ponder his options any further, he realized he had already been spotted from his spot approaching the kitchen. 


	2. Chap. 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> deceit has confrontation and tries not to starve

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> updated yay. sorry for the wait, im tryna write ahead an post in a timely manner at the same time while still writing other stories so bear with me lol. anyway, hope ya enjoy~

Anxiety threw his headphones off, hissing at him. This caused Patton and Logan to pause, turning to him, suspicion and alarm and  _ hatred _ brewing in their eyes. Roman, from the other side of the room where he had been watching and singing along to a Disney movie, looked up to see what the commotion was before bolting to his feet, and as he ran to the others pulled out his katana, scowling. 

Deceit outwardly smirked, but inside he was kinda scared and done with everything. Already, it seemed everything had gone to s**t. Patton stepped forward, frowning disapprovingly and saying in a ‘you’re in big trouble, young man’ voice, “What are you doing here Deceit?” Patton spat out his name like it was venom, his dislike clear in every syllable. 

Deceit felt his heart twinge but he instead folded his arms, tilting his head in mock confusion. “What do you mean? I live here too, you know. It’s not like I need food or anything too, but what do I know? It’s not like my only job is lying. I’m still a side.” 

Virgil stood quickly, anger twisting his features as he growled out, “Yeah, well, maybe you shouldn’t be. You’re probably just lying. You’re literally  _ called  _ Deceit!!” 

Deceit glared at the other. “Yeah, cause I totally  _ chose _ to be the ‘bad guy’,” he used his fingers to air quote the phrase as he said it, “I  _ definitely _ chose to be hated and a _ monster _ , it’s not like anyone here would know what it’s like to be hated for doing their  _ job _ or anything here, do they?” He glared pointedly at Anxiety, who glared back, albeit looking the tiniest bit thoughtful. It didn’t last long, though, as Roman decided to step forward, wielding his katana threateningly. 

“Enough out of you, fiend!! What do you want? You should know by now you’re not wanted here!!” Deceit rolled his eyes, saying sarcastically, “Oh, really? I’m not wanted here? Gee, I hadn’t noticed. I thought that you all absolutely  _ loved _ my presence, I mean, just look at the cheery atmosphere!!” 

He gestured to everyone, all in aggressive stances, prepared to attack him, the air filled with tension so thick you could cut it with Roman’s very impressive katana. “And as for what I want,” he continued, ‘polishing’ his gloved hand on his sweater, “as I had already stated, all I  _ want  _ is some food unless you want to deny me that as well. Who am I kidding, of course you do. I already know you guys all want me to curl up and die like the vermin you perceive me as, but I, personally, am good. It’s not like the only food I want is enough to sustain me for the next few days so I don’t die of malnutrition, but with how much you all  _ love _ me, I know you would rather that.” 

Patton looked slightly guilty but still angry, overall looking conflicted. In the end, however, his fatherly instinct won over and he sighed in defeat, moving out of his spot in the kitchen, motioning for Logan to do the same. Logan looked at the moral side in confusion, eyeing Deceit warily as he exited the kitchen as well. Deceit blinked in disguised surprise, watching as they left. He was surprised that that actually appeared to have worked. He was startled from his thoughts as Patton’s voice sliced through his thoughts. 

“Fine, you can have some food. There should be some leftovers in the fridge and some granola bars and snacks in the pantry. Just… try not to take to much, please.” Deceit immediately sprang up, racing to the fridge with as much dignity as he could and flung it open, scouring the shelves for food. 

Roman looked at Patton in disbelief, starting to exclaim, “But- Patton-!!” before being interrupted by a stern-looking father-figure. “Listen, champ, as much as we may not like it he  _ does  _ need food. He is..” Patton took a deep breath before continuing, “He is still a part of Thomas, and he does help sometimes. We do still need him.” 

Logan nodded his approval hesitantly, sighing deeply as he spoke, “As much as I hate to admit it, Patton does have a point. Deceit does, in fact, help Thomas in his own way. In order to function well, he needs food as well. We shouldn’t be so cruel as to prohibit him, especially as doing so will, ultimately, hurt Thomas.” Everyone nodded seriously, all silently agreeing to at least slightly be better to Deceit. 

Logan glanced at Deceit, who, not seeming to have heard their conversation, had started putting any sustainable food under his sweater and in his pants pockets, not wanting to test his luck and not having enough to eat before he was inevitably kicked out. He froze as he heard a voice clear his throat behind him. He turned around stiffly, staring at Patton who was looking at him with a small smile on his face. 

“You got enough, buddy?” Deceit blinked, confused at the change in tone. He carefully responded, “Uh-  _ no _ , I totally don’t have enough. And I-I’m  _ definitely _ not at  _ all _ thankful, nope..” he nervously shuffled his feet before realizing what he was doing. He straightened up, smirking smugly. 

“Now if you  _ won’t _ excuse me, I must be off.” He caustically bowed, sinking out with a flickering of the lights and a poof of smoke. He appeared in his ‘room,’ aka the attic, breathing a deep sigh of relief. That… that was a close one. 

He was still baffled as to why Patton had decided to let him get food, but he was extremely grateful for it, as much as he hated himself for it. He also hated the fact that he now owed the fatherly figure for it. He ran a hand through his hair, thinking of ways to repay him. 

What did Patton like..?


	3. Chap. 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> deceit makes stuff cuz he can

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> short chap sorry, haha.. im so tired lol
> 
> edit: finally added the draw i did of the plushies, yay

Deceit decided to make Patton two stuffed animals: one of a blue cat, and one of a white with blue spots puppy. On the puppies paw, Deceit sewed Morality’s logo with painstaking detail, and on the opposite paw, he sewed a big, light blue heart, with three smaller hearts in purple, red, and dark blue. Around the puppies’ neck, he tied a rainbow ribbon in a bow and gave the puppy big, blue, glittery button eyes. On the cat’s paw, he sewed 4 small hearts, one light blue, one dark blue, one purple, and one red. The cat had clouds sewn onto its fabric body, making it look like a sky.

He put another rainbow ribbon around its neck, also tied in a bow, and he attached a name tag to it. He wrote ‘SKY’ in bold lettering, and on the puppies tag he left it blank, so Patton could name it. He looked at the finished products, proud of them. He grinned, carefully picking them up. He thought about how to give them to the fatherly side, deciding to just leave them outside his door at night. He checked the time, seeing that it was currently 12:49 a.m. He would leave at 2:00 a.m., but until then he had to find something to do. He looked around his room, searching for inspiration. His eyes landed on his plush snake. Perfect. He strode over to it, picking it up and walking to his bean bag. He took one of the books from under his nightstand. It was on snakes, filled with snake facts, pictures, and how to care for them. It was one of his favorite books, one he had read countless times, obvious from the wear and the worn edges of the pages. He smiled caringly down at it sentiment and gleeful nostalgia filling him, he moved the cushions on the beanbag so that he could sit down, wrapping his snake plushie around his neck and putting the pillows behind his back for the comfort and support. He settled himself in for the wait, starting to read.

The two hours passed by extremely quickly. In fact, Deceit accidentally spent a total of three hours reading before he realized that he should have left an hour ago. He bolted to his feet, grabbing the plushies and sinking out, heading quickly but carefully and quietly to Patton’s room. He was careful, making sure not to make too much noise, especially when passing by one of the other sides’ rooms. His heart was beating in his throat and he tried to calm down, reassuring himself that there wasn’t much chance of him being caught, seeing as it was 3 a.m. and he was being careful not to do anything that would get him caught. Finally, after a suspenseful few minutes, he made it to the fatherly sides door. He took a deep breath before setting down the two plushes beside the door frame, positioning them so that they were leaning on each other. He nodded proudly, taking a step back before turning to leave.

He froze as he heard bleary footsteps on the other side of the door, quickly approaching it. Deceit’s heart felt like it was about to burst and he instinctively sank out just as the door started to open.


	4. Chap. 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> smol boi escapes, then later big oof 
> 
> XD

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> im so tired, ignore chap summary tbh  
> anyway, kinda short chap but eh, ill make up for it later  
> sorry in the meantime  
> ill be updating every other day btw, as i have been so far

He reappeared in his own room and he stumbled, his breath picking up its pace and his heart following his lungs example. Oh god, what if Morality saw him?! What if he didn’t like them?! What if thought it was a trap- Deceit took a deep breath, closing his eyes. These kinds of thoughts wouldn’t help him. He needed to think of a way to handle the situation if it did go wrong, not all the ways it could go wrong. He blundered his way over to his ‘bed,’ collapsing in it. He held his hands over his eyes, deep in thought. What to do, what to do… his eyes shot open as he thought of the best way to handle it. 

Just… ignore it. Absolutely nothing could go wrong. If someone tried to confront him about it, just flat out denial couldn’t fail him. He grinned evilly. This would work. He ignored the part of his brain that facepalmed. That part of his brain was his common sense. 

Deceit couldn’t sleep for the rest of the night, so he just snuggled up with his darling home-made plushies until his alarm went off. He sighed, putting his book down and gently pushing his plushies off of him. He got up, rearranging his plushies before running a hand through his hair tiredly, trying to tame his unruly curls. He gave up, just putting his usual bowler hat on. 

He collapsed onto his bean bag again, grabbing a granola bar that he had snatched yesterday. He opened it, eating it slowly, deciding that he would try to make his food last for as long as possible. With how much he had, if he rationed it well, it should be enough to last him for the next few weeks. 

As time went on and as more and more of the others woke up, Deceit could feel pings that alerted him that someone was lying. Red for Roman, purple for Anxiety, light blue for Patton, dark blue for Logan, and the very rare green for Remus, as well as the occasional alert from the others. The morning had just begun and already the ‘Light Sides’ were lying. Deceit rolled his eyes, and they called  _ him _ the liar? At least it was his  _ job _ , they just lied because they could!! They lied almost more than he did, but did they ever get upset at themselves for it? Nooooo, just for him was that treatment reserved. He felt  _ so _ honored, really, he did. He huffed before shaking his head. He had better things to worry about. 

He was already bored, but he didn’t feel like seeking out Remus, and he was already ignoring the Light Sides, like he would seek them out regardless. He smirked, draping himself along the back of the bean bag, careful not to fall off. He tilted his head up, looking at the rickety rafters that were the ceiling of his room. He studied them, finding patterns in the ridges and the grains of the wood. 

Suddenly, he felt the rare tug of someone trying to summon him and, startled, he fell over, landing behind the beanbag, getting smooshed between the wall and the bean bag in the process. He yelped, landing with a solid, resounding thud. He hissed, wriggling around, trying to get himself free but not really succeeding. He felt another tug and, distracted by his current predicament, was too preoccupied to resist it. 


	5. Chap. 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> big oof, deceit is embarrassed snakey boi, patton is confusion

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> another short chap, i will be making these up soon i promise, until then im so sorry agh

He felt himself get yanked into wherever he was getting summoned from, falling a few feet to the ground and landing humiliatingly on his face. 

His shirt had been pulled up a little bit, exposing some of his stomach and the scattered scales there. He was only wearing some dark grey sweatpants, a long-sleeved dark yellow shirt, his usual gloves(luckily), his hat, and some black and yellow snake patterned socks. He felt the human, non-scaled side of his face flush scarlet in embarrassment, and he scrambled to his feet quickly, pulling his shirt down hastily and straightening his hat, smoothing out the folds in his clothes before glaring at the one responsible for his utter humiliation. 

He saw a very shocked Patton, who was trying(and failing) not to laugh. The other quickly cleared his throat, and Deceit noticed that he was holding the two plushies that he had deposited on his door earlier that day. Deceit faked a look of confusion, not having to pretend the look of anger and disbelief. He hissed out, “What do you want? I wasss busssy!!” 

Patton cleared his throat, saying, “Well, uh, I found these outside my door this morning. I was wondering if, well… did you make these?” Deceit made his face look confused and disbelieving. “What? Why would I make those for you? I  _ totally _ owe you, and I  _ totally _ have the skills necessary to make something like that. Besides, what’s the point? You all just  _ adore _ me, you’d totally accept a gift from me.” 

Patton sighed, looking vaguely baffled. “Well then, if  _ you _ didn’t put them there, who did..?” Deceit shrugged, putting his hand on his chin in mock contemplation. 

“Well, the only one who  _ doesn’t _ have any skill with sewing would be V-Anxiety. Maybe it  _ wasn’t _ him?” Patton nodded slowly, not quite convinced but dropped it, exhaling deeply before yawning, “Well, I’m tired. Thanks for the help, Deceit!!” Patton cringed slightly, as if the name reminded him of who he was talking to. 

Deceit responded curtly, “You’re  _ not _ welcome. Now if you’ll excuse me, I  _ don’t  _ have some business to attend to.” With that, he promptly sunk out, appearing in his room. 


	6. Chap. 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> deceit is done with life and decides to do stuff because he can

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i know, i know, another short chap, but the next 2 i think will be uber long so just bare with me.
> 
> im so sorryyyy

He breathed a sigh of relief, slumping forward as he made his way back to the bean bag, feeling his face flush again as he thought back to how he fell both off of the bean bag and in front of Patton. He smacked himself in the face, putting his face in his hands and groaning in annoyance and embarrassment. 

Of course, that had to happen. Of f-ing course. He shook his head, collapsing with a dull  _ thud _ in the beanbag. He grabbed the rim of his hat, taking it off and placing it on the floor beside the beanbag. He ran his fingers through his hair tiredly, his hair floofing up. He ruffled his hair, tilting his head back and looking at the rafters again. He had no idea what to do now. All he could hope for was that the rest of today would remain confrontation free. 

He looked around his room, trying to find something to do. He almost felt like drawing, and he shrugged, deciding to do just that. 

He got up, looking around for his sketchbook. He found it beside the bookshelf, and he picked it up, flipping it open and then going to find a pencil. Once he found one he went back to the bean bag, curling up with his legs near his chest, resting the sketchbook on his legs. He tapped the pencil to his chin, thinking of what to draw. He decided he would draw a two-headed snake, his logo. He smiled at the thought of it. He worked hard on it, and he felt it turned out rather well!! He started sketching roughly, quickly getting lost in the process. 

Before he knew it, a few hours had passed. He finished, looking at it. He realized he had managed to fine-line it as well, having summoned the tools subconsciously. It had no color, but it still looked pretty darn cool in his humble opinion. He may not be the best at drawing, but he was still proud of it. He summoned an eraser, erasing the pencil outline. Done. 

He checked the time, seeing that it was 5:34 p.m. Deceit grunted in annoyance. How was he going to spend the next few hours?! He suddenly felt another tug, summoning him. He threw his arms up in exasperation. Again?! What did they want this time?! He huffed, and when he felt the tug again he sighed, reluctantly sinking out. Might as well..


	7. Chap. 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> deceit is baffled but blessed, logan and patton are pure smol beans, and all in all it's a good time

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *cough cough*ok so i may have accidentally lied about the bonus chap, bUT!! i will still do it!! i just need to actually write it because when i said i would, that day wound up being spent outside(ugh) and then the next day i had school and a hecka lot of homework. but i will do the thing. im so sorryyyy
> 
> but at least the next few chaps will be longer so yay
> 
> also the secret world of arrietty is one of my favorite movies so i just had to have it be the movie they watched. if u havent seen it, 100/10 would recommend.

Deceit reappeared in the Light Sides living room. The only occupants, aside from himself, were Logan and Patton. The TV was on, and there was an array of DVD covers on the floor, most Disney movies. Deceit blinked, glancing from the DVDs to the Light Sides in confusion. 

The two sides were wearing their onesies, sitting beside each other on the couch. Besides Patton was a plethora of candies and snacks, some already open. Logan had a mug of steaming liquid that looked like tea, and in his lap was a bowl of popcorn that Patton would ‘sneak’ a handful of. Patton and Logan were looking at him, and Patton chirped, “Hey, Deceit!! We were wondering if you wanted to watch a movie with us!! Me and Lo usually have movie nights and food and snacks and stuff on Fridays, and you’re welcome to join us!!” 

Logan nodded in agreement, trying to look as welcoming as he could. Deceit was bewildered. “I appreciate the offer, truly I do, but…  _ why _ are you offering? I know you guys  _ love _ me, but this? I’m blushing,” he stated in a dead voice. 

Logan’s brows furrowed, and Patton looked downcast, saying sadly, “Oh, um, well, you don’t have to.. I’m sorry to bother you, I just thought it’d be nice to try and get to know you better..” Deceit was taken aback, feeling a slight pain in his heart seeing the fatherly figure upset. He shuffled his feet awkwardly, before releasing a theatric sigh. 

“Oh, if I  _ must _ .” 

Deceit walked over to the couch, sitting on the far end. Patton perked up, cheering. He bounced in his seat, leaning over to look around Logan at Deceit, calling, “Do you want any snacks?” Deceit hesitated, nodding slowly. Patton grinned, turning to his horde of treasure, sifting through it. “Okay, which do you want?” 

Deceit shrugged, fiddling with his gloves, mumbling, “Any is fine.” Patton nodded, contemplating which he should give to the side before settling on Lemon Heads, black licorice, and snake gummies. He tossed them gently over to Deceit, yelling, “Catch!!”. Deceit flinched, flailing, managing to catch two of them, the third smacking him in the face. He yelped, the offending gummies landing in his arms with the rest. 

He heard laughing from Patton and soft chuckling from Logan. He flushed, sticking his tongue out at the others. He heard Patton gasp, and Logan froze, looking at Deceit curiously. Deceit stilled, tensing up. He berated himself. This is what he gets for letting his guard down. He did something wrong, and now they’re going to hate him even more than they already did. This was all a trap, wasn’t it, they didn’t really care-

His thoughts were cut off by Patton’s awed voice saying, “Oh,  _ wow _ !! I didn’t know you had a forked tongue!!” Deceit slowly blinked, saying dumbly, “...what.” He realized what happened shortly after, smacking himself mentally in the face. Logan was still observing Deceit, intrigued. 

“Hmm.. you appear to have other snake-like aspects, not just the scales. I wonder if it would also reflect on mentality, how would that affect your diet, your internal structure, yo-” 

Deceit waved his hands quickly, sorely tempted to silence the logical side, if only for a minute. He didn’t want to overthink his weird existence or function, not right now. “As much as I  _ love _ being interrogated, I  _ totally _ have the answers to every question you could possibly think of about me.” 

Logan nodded in embarrassment, looking slightly flustered as he mumbled an apology. Patton giggled, looking at Deceit. “Well, sorry, kiddo, didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable!!” Deceit sputtered indignantly but Patton kept talking. “We have a whole lotta movies to choose from, what do you wanna watch?” 

Deceit shrugged, looking around before glancing at the movies, trying to get an idea. He hummed under his breath, debating with himself before settling on The Secret World of Arrietty, one of his all-time favorites. He suggested hesitantly, “Do… you want to watch..” he paused, grabbing the DVD case. “..This one?” He held up the case. Logan nodded, and Patton clapped excitedly, nodding enthusiastically. 

“Yeah!! Let’s start it!! Is there anything else you want before the movie starts?” He looked expectantly at Deceit and Logan, the latter shaking his head. Deceit considered the question, noting that he felt a bit cold. He shivered, looking at Patton and asking, “Uh, can I grab a blanket from my room?” Patton nodded, smiling broadly. “Sure!! When you get back, the movie should be ready!! We’ll set it up while you’re gone.” 

Deceit nodded, mumbling his thanks as he sank out, grabbing a black blanket with yellow snake patterns that he had made himself. He was kind of in a daze at this point. It… it didn’t feel real, honestly. He was half expecting to wake up at any moment, finding out it was just a dream. He pinched himself, but he didn’t wake up. He shrugged. If it were a dream, it wouldn’t be the first time. He hugged the blanket to his chest, sighing, composing himself. 

He sank out, landing in front of his seat on the couch. He let himself fall backward, landing with a thud. Patton was in front of the TV, just inserting the DVD into the DVD player. Logan was changing the settings on the TV, making it compatible to play a CD. they both glanced up in surprise, Patton smiling broadly when he saw it was Deceit. 

“Hey, buddy!! We’ve almost got it ready!! Ohh, that’s a really cool blanket!! It looks so soft!!” Deceit impulsively felt the blanket, his glove gliding smoothly across the fuzzy texture of the fabric, pride and joy swelling in his chest. 

“Thankss..” Deceit groaned internally, he accidentally elongated his ‘s’ noise. He glared playfully at Patton, who was now squealing at the flustered snake. He huffed, hiding a smile. The movie started playing and Patton perked up, quickly getting to his feet and scrambling for his chair, curling up in it and staring at the screen in anticipation. Logan followed him, albeit more calmly, sitting beside Patton, the other instinctively leaning into him. Deceit watched their interaction, before turning back to the screen. 

He felt giddy, it had been ages since he had last seen this movie!! He opened the pack of gummies, seeking his revenge on them for their earlier attack on his face. He nibbled on one, savoring the flavor as he watched the movie, entranced. 


	8. Chap. 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> smol bois and smol sad but pshh it's fine

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> longer chap yay  
> smol boiyos, love smol

As the movie ended, Deceit had only eaten the gummie worms and half of the Lemon Heads, which he was obsessed with. They lasted for a while, and the sour flavor was amazing. He placed another in his mouth, smiling happily. He glanced at Logan and Patton out of the corner of his eye, noting that they were nearly asleep, cuddling into each other. Patton yawned and Logan blearily read the credits as they scrolled down the screen. 

He smirked, pulling out his phone sneakily and taking a picture. He put it away before they could notice, chuckling quietly. He sighed happily, relaxing into the cushion. This… was nice. He couldn’t remember the last time he had felt this at peace, at ease,  _ happy _ . He could get used to this. 

He smacked himself mentally.  _ It won’t last, enjoy it while you can, they don’t really like you, they’re just pretending, it’s a trap, they hate you, you’re a freak.. _ He tensed up, staring at the floor. Patton giggled and he turned to look at them, seeing Logan slump as he finally fell asleep, snoring lightly with his head on Patton’s shoulder. Patton sleepily snuggled Logan’s face with his own face like a cat, arching his back while stretching. Deceit took a deep breath, trying to calm himself. He pulled his blanket tighter around himself, sighing. He heard a door slam open, thudding closed on the floor above. He jumped, staring at the spot in the ceiling where the noise had come from. He loud loud steps above him and he tensed up, training his ears on the sound. He could hear faint singing and Deceit realized who it was as the noise grew louder and closer. Roman. 

Deceit glanced at Logan and Patton, who were blearily looking around, being yanked from their semi-conscious state by the noise. Deceit whispered to them, “I  _ don’t  _ think now would be a good time for me to leave.” Logan stared at him in confusion, saying slightly drowsily, “Why? Did we do something to upset you?” 

Deceit shook his head, worriedly glancing at the top of the staircase before pointing at the noise, mouthing, ‘ _ Roman _ .’ Logan nodded in understanding, before sadly sighing. “Yes, I can see how that might be an issue. I’m sorry our time had to be cut short. I’ll try to bring the others around. Thank you for giving us a chance. With how we’ve treated you, I would have completely understood if you had declined.” 

Deceit smirked playfully with a tint of sadness, trying to cover up his bashfulness and disbelief. “Careful, Logic, I might start thinking you guys actually enjoy my presence.” Logan stared at Deceit seriously. “We do.” Deceit stared at his hands, before waving his farewell. 

Just as he started to sink out he heard Patton mumble tiredly to Logan slurring slightly, “Hey, Lo-Lo, whass’ happenin’?” 

Logan smiled fondly down at the heart, responding, “Deceit has to leave, Roman’s coming.” Deceit stared sadly, reappearing in his room. He realized, too late, that he had forgotten his blanket. He smacked himself, groaning. Not only would that be a very obvious clue that he had been there, but it was also one of his favorite blankets. Why was he such an idiot?! 

He considered going back to grab it quickly, but he abandoned the idea. It was too late, Roman would have already either seen it and/ or arrived in the living room. It was better for just the blanket, which could be explained away to be there, than him, who could not. He shook his head, exhaling through his nose deeply. He glanced around his room. He would have to pay both Patton and Logan back now. 

He slumped before sighing, getting to work. He grabbed a dark blue and a piece of black fabric for Logan and a sky blue and white for Patton. He also grabbed a rich, velvety red material and some needles and string in the colors of each of the fabrics. Time to get started.


	9. BONUS CHAP

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> patton pov woah  
> patton gets an idea

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> yayyyy bonus chap!! it's... it's really short but i mean. eh. idk what else to add so XD. im sorry again tho, but i hope u like it regardless and if u dont that's fair lol

BONUS CHAP:

Patton stood outside of his door, holding the two stuffed animals. He stared at the spot where Deceit had just been, deep in thought. He was almost positive the other was lying to him. He had seen Virgil’s work, and these toys didn’t look like something he would make. He didn’t know  _ why _ , exactly, he felt it was Deceit, but he could just tell. He sighed, looking at the plushies in contemplation. If the other  _ had _ made it, then maybe… maybe he wasn’t all bad. 

He admired the craftsmanship and detail put into the plush. He could tell that a lot of time and effort had been put into it, and he felt a small warmth in his heart at the thought. He smiled brightly, perking up. He could repay Deceit, as well as get the others to start to accept him, with a movie night!! 

They’d have to start out slow, so not all of them. He thought of who should attend. Virgil was a definite ‘ _ no, _ ’ as his dislike of Deceit was apparent to everyone. Not Roman, yet at least, as he viewed Deceit as a villain, although he did occasionally take his side. So maybe… Logan? Yeah, Logan was the best, and safest, bet. He already knew and accepted Deceit as part of Thomas and saw that he could do good. He could also tolerate the snakey side, which was a bonus. 

Patton nodded, bouncing in place before setting off in search of Logan. Time to get the snacks!!


	10. Chap. 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> deceit makes another thing, takes nap, has visitor wOah

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> im sorry for another short chap but the next one should make up for it so yay

Deceit finished at 8 a.m. the next day. He hadn’t slept, not feeling the need to and not being that tired anyway. He sat back, sighing, staring in pride at the finished product. There was a fuzzy black teddy bear with dark blue eyes, nose, insides of ears, paws, and stomach, as well as wearing a little blue tie. It had small square frames placed on its nose carefully, making glasses. There was also a white teddy bear with light blue eyes, nose, insides of ears, paws, and stomach, with a gray cardigan around its neck and also wearing glasses. 

In between them, each bear holding one side of it with one paw, was a big, red velvet heart with the words ‘I L Y’ sewn onto it in bold, white lettering. Deceit smiled happily, content with how it turned out. He slouched, yawning exhaustedly. He rubbed his eyes with ungloved hands, the scattered scales on his hands feeling rough against his face. He was tired, feeling drained from the lack of sleep as well as the amount of energy and concentration he had spent. 

He clambered to his feet, stumbling over to his pile of blankets. He collapsed heavily onto it, feeling the air ‘ _ whoosh’ _ out of his lungs. He rolled over, nestling into the blankets. He let out a content sigh, feeling drowsy. His eyes fluttered closed and he was asleep.

A few hours later he was startled awake by a loud knocking noise coming from the small kickstand holding the ladder that led into the hallway below. Deceit never really used it, as he could just sink down, but no other side could come in that way unless he allowed them to. Deceit blearily blinked, confused. Who was it, and why? He just wanted to sleep.. 

He sighed, getting up and dragging his feet as he walked over to it. He saw it was open, the ladder down, with Patton on it, his fist raised to knock again before he saw Deceit. 


	11. Chap. 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> patton gets nicer, deceit is soft boiyo, good things r coming

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> long chap, might be a smol wait til next chap, as in longer than usual, sorry, school has been rough recently and stress is fun, but i will try to get it to u as soon as possible!! sorry in advance!!

“Oh, hey!! I was wondering if you wanted to eat dinner with us?” 

Deceit blinked, considering it. “That  _ totally _ doesn’t sound great, but it depends on who’s ‘us,’ in this equation?” Patton grinned, and Deceit could tell that he would be bouncing if he weren’t on a ladder. “I managed to get Roman to at least try to hang out with you!! I haven’t suggested the idea with Virgil, not yet, but it’s a start!! We’ll be eating with Roman and Logan, though.” 

Deceit hesitated, thinking it over. He nodded slowly in agreement, mumbling, “I  _ totally  _ hope that this goes poorly. That’d be  _ great _ .” 

Patton nodded sadly before perking up. “Well, at least the others are starting to come around!! I’m, uh..” Patton paused, looking away guiltily, his grip on the rungs of the ladder tightening, “I’m sorry for how I treated you before. How  _ we _ treated you before. You didn’t deserve it and we were, well, jerks, to put it lightly.” Deceit snorted sardonically. That was an understatement. 

Patton sighed, making eye contact with Deceit, his eyes remorseful. “So… I’m sorry. I know that I don’t deserve your forgiveness, and I don’t expect it. I just… wanted you to know.” Deceit felt his eyes burn, and he could feel tears well up in his eyes when he realized he couldn’t sense any lies from the fatherly side. He was telling the truth. He was genuinely sorry. He cleared his throat thickly, saying in a slightly choked voice, “I-I forgive you. Thanksss.. But it’s  _ totally _ not like you guys had a reason or anything for behaving that way.” 

Patton blinked in surprise before smiling in relief, confusion glinting in his eyes. Deceit paused, thinking about the others. He.. didn’t quite forgive them. He didn’t hold much of a grudge to Logan, and as far as Roman he was still salty about the court case but Remus had taken care of that with his morning star, and he was willing to give him a chance regardless. But Virgil… He didn’t know how he felt about Virgil. He was upset at him because he had abandoned the ‘Dark Sides’ for the Light Sides, but he was still family, even if Virgil no longer viewed them that way. But before he left, the fight they had… he could tell that Virgil was still upset, which wasn’t very hidden in the slightest but still. He couldn’t blame the other, but he didn’t expect Anxiety to forgive him. 

Patton coughed suddenly, the dust tickling his lungs. Deceit jumped, startled. Patton panted, fanning the air in front of his face, his other hand clenched tightly to the ladder so he wouldn’t fall off. He wheezed out, “I’m going to.. Get down now, haha.. Your room is really dusty, kiddo..!!” He moved to go down, and Deceit sank out, appearing at the bottom of the ladder below, holding it so it’d stay steady while the other climbed down. 

Patton sighed in relief, glancing at Deceit gratefully, “Thanks, buddy!!” Patton dusted himself off before he let out a noise of realization, perking up. He turned around, moving to the wall of the hallway, bending down and picking up a bundle. Deceit peered around Patton curiously, before jumping back into place and trying to look nonchalant as the other turned around, smiling happily. Patton tossed the bundle at Deceit, who flailed, startled as he scrambled to catch it. He held it away from his face where it had landed, examining it. 

He slowly smiled, glancing excitedly between the fabric and Patton as he realized it was his blanket. He coughed in embarrassment, turning away and saying in a mild tone, “Well, it was about time.” He paused, eyeing Patton out of the corner of his eye before murmuring, “Thank you.” 

Patton bounced on his toes, exclaiming, “You’re welcome!! And sorry for not getting it to you sooner, me and Virge were playing board games this morning, and I couldn’t get it to you yesterday because it took a while to settle Roman.” 

Deceit frowned, guilt curling in his gut. He hunched up minisculely, trying to avoid Patton’s eyes guiltily as he mumbled, “I’m…  _ totally _ glad I got the chance to inconvenience you and Logan, especially after the  _ cruel  _ and  _ malicious _ treatment you gave me.” 

Patton frowned, sad and confused before he translated Deceit’s meaning and smiled relieved. “Eh, it’s fine. It got us the chance to introduce him to the idea of hanging out with you. Besides, it wasn’t that bad. Don’t worry about it.” Patton smiled reassuringly, and Deceit was still unsure but smiled hesitantly in return. 

Patton chirped, “Well, come on!! It’s about time for us to eat!!” 

Deceit nodded, taking a deep breath and standing up straight, ignoring the apprehension curling in his gut. He could do this.


End file.
